Wisconsin

Poll finds ‘brain drain’ a statewide concern

A majority of Wisconsinites believe the state's best and brightest are leaving Wisconsin to work elsewhere, according to polling results released Sunday that reflected a level of pessimism on several levels.

Milwaukeeans in the polling had a more negative outlook than the rest of the state: 68% of Milwaukeeans said the best and brightest leave Wisconsin to work, while 62% of Wisconsin residents agreed with the statement.

The same percentage of Milwaukeeans and statewide residents - 58% - said Wisconsin is on the wrong track.

"We clearly have a high quality of life overall, but it's opportunity, opportunity, opportunity," said Ken Goldstein, the University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor who directed the polling of more than 3,300 Wisconsin adults this summer.

The polling is part of a multifaceted study of long-term economic, education and quality-of-life trends called Refocus Wisconsin. It was commissioned by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, a conservative think tank that touted the effort as "the most comprehensive ever" of Wisconsinites' attitudes and concerns.

Troubling results from a spring survey of graduating seniors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business prompted the poll question about migration of Wisconsin's best and brightest, said Goldstein, who also oversaw that survey as well.

Of the 225 graduating business students surveyed, 87% said they think the best students at the University of Wisconsin leave the state to work elsewhere.

While 54% of the seniors said they could see themselves starting their own business within the next 10 years, 84% said they didn't think they could maximize their earning potential if they remained in Wisconsin.

George Lightbourn, president of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, said the state has to find a way to reverse that thinking.

"We have to make the talented young people from Wisconsin believe their future is best served by staying in Wisconsin," he said.

Goldstein directed two polls for the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute study.

An initial poll conducted between May 27 and June 10 included 2,508 respondents statewide, 492 of whom live in Milwaukee. A second poll in July included 822 respondents statewide and 201 Milwaukee residents. They are the first publicly released polls in the state to include cell phone users, according to Goldstein.

The June polling outside Milwaukee had a margin of error of 2 percentage points; inside Milwaukee, the margin of error was 4.5 percentage points, according to the surveys.

In the July polling outside Milwaukee, the margin of error was 3.5 percentage points; for July polling in Milwaukee, the margin of error was 7.5 percentage points.

More than half of the May-June survey participants (58% of Milwaukeeans and 62% of statewide respondents) said they have lived in Wisconsin their whole life, while less than one-fourth (17% of Milwaukeeans and 14% statewide) moved here as an adult. A smaller percentage (9% of Milwaukeeans and 13% statewide) said they grew up in Wisconsin, moved away and then returned.

In the June survey, almost four out of 10 Milwaukeeans (39%) said they are at least somewhat likely to leave the state in the next three years - about double the number found in statewide polling. Twenty percent of Milwaukeeans said they were very likely to leave the state, while 8% statewide said they were very likely to leave.

Goldstein said those surveyed generally were positive about quality of life, but their optimism waned as they were asked more specific questions about taxes, schools and government.

Thirty-nine percent of Wisconsinites surveyed said they believe the state has a higher quality of life than other states, while 48% rated it the same and 10% rated it lower.

Fewer than one in five Milwaukeeans surveyed (19%) rated Wisconsin's quality of life as higher than elsewhere, while 22% rated it lower, and 55% said it's about the same.

Wisconsinites generally gave moderate marks to their schools. Statewide, a "B" was the most popular grade for both Wisconsin schools in general and the respondents' local schools - 44% and 42%, respectively.

Among Milwaukeeans asked to grade their local public schools, however, one in five (21%) gave them an "F" and another 17% gave them a "D." About one in 10 Milwaukeeans (9%) gave their local public schools an "A" and about a quarter (23%) a "B."

The polls did not focus on politics, but did ask about political affiliation. In the statewide June poll, 29% identified themselves as Democrats, 33% as independents and 22% as Republican. Of the Milwaukeeans polled in June, 45% were Democrats, 24% were independents and 11% were Republicans.